Music Experiences

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Seattle was our visit to the Experience Music Project. My daughter-in-law Susan has written a great account of our visit and posted photos on her blog – see her entry High Notes. This is a lovely record of our family’s visit. It was a very rainy gloomy day in Seattle and it took some persuading of the youngest member of the family that going to the EMP was a good idea. But once she got there, happiness reigned.

This past weekend I had a music experience of quite a different nature. No electric guitars or rock bands this time. No, it was a group of about 25 recorder players getting together for a day of making music – and then performing for a select audience – 5 appreciative human attendees plus one lovely black labrador guide dog. This was a special day – the first of its kind at the DIT here in Rathmines Dublin. The day was organized by Laoise O’Brien, my recorder teacher at the DIT, along with 2 other tutors, Kamala from New Zealand and Julien, who hails from France.

We assembled in time to start playing at 10 a.m. – Kamala took the first session and later we were divided up into 3 different groups, arranged according to our level of proficiency. No nomenclature was applied, so I made up my own – lower intermediate, intermediate, and advanced. I was assigned to the lower intermediate group – at this point I don’t want to call myself a beginner. This is now my 3rd year of lessons and trying to play with the Irish Branch of the Society of Recorder Players. I have made some progress – I still have a long way to go!! Saturday was a wonderful day – playing with the full recorder orchestra and playing in our “lower intermediate” group. Laoise and Kamala and Julien were soh enthusiastic and helpful. Thank you to the three for making this first DIT Recorder Day such a success. I hope there will be many more.